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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak govt leaves villages wallowing in neglect |
| 2010-10-30 |
| [Arab News] Less than a kilometer from the sprawling residential complex of Pakistain's prime minister, villagers have to scrabble for firewood in the dirt if they want a cooked meal. Noor Pur Shahan is typical of many villages in the country, where supplies of cooking gas, clean water, electricity, classrooms, and also hope for the future, are hard to come by. Improving government services for millions of increasingly frustrated Paks is critical for bringing economic and political stability to a country the United States sees as an indispensable ally in its global war on militancy. Many say the current system of governance only benefits Pakistain's political elite and the wealthy. And it's one that drives disaffected young men to join Mohammedan thug groups violently opposed to the government, analysts say. The administration of President Asif Ali President Ten PercentZardari, like many before it, is accused of being too corrupt and inept to ease widespread hardship. It denies the allegations. But in Noor Pur Shahan, where goats roam on winding roads beneath lush mountains about 8 km northeast of the capital, these denials ring hollow. "The government only looks after the rich people," said Mohammad Aleem, an elderly man with a long white beard, as he clutched his cane. Conditions are unlikely to improve anytime soon. The cash-strapped government slashed development spending after summer floods caused nearly $10 billion in damages. Securing reconstruction funds may not be possible unless Pakistain persuades Western donors spending will be transparent and accounted for. The International Monetary Fund, which has kept the economy afloat since 2008, wants Pakistain to implement politically sensitive economic reforms such as imposing new taxes and eliminating electricity subsidies. Washington has pumped billions of dollars into Pakistain since the country joined the US war on militancy after the September 11 attacks on the United States. Little seems to have trickled down to the poor. |
| Posted by:Fred |